Dexter Review: "Swim Deep" (Episode 7.05)

Do you find yourself wondering where this season of Dexter is heading? Let’s just assume your answer is “yes.” If we look to past years, all of the previous seasons were highlighted with a memorable antagonist. In most scenarios, Dexter stops the enemy (man or woman) in the season finale and balance is restored to his life. But who is the legitimate threat or serial killer in season seven? Isaak is in jail in what appears to be an airtight case; Hannah’s motives are a mystery, and Debra seems more interested in daydreaming about her childhood trips to Myrtle Beach than turning Dexter in.

I want to start off by saying that Hannah McKay reminds me of Lila West (Jaime Murray) from season two. Remember her and the crazy-talk about being soulmates with Dexter? Both women started off innocently enough—that is, until we delve deeper into their pasts. Dexter pieces together that Hannah had a larger part in the Wayne Randall killings than just being a spectator—she also killed at least one person. It’s not the fact that she killed a person that’s alarming to me—we saw that coming—it’s the way Dexter describes the kill in his head: she was straddling the victim and stabbing the woman over and over with excitement. That scenario with Hannah doesn’t sound like a once-and-done sort of thing. Dex holds back the revealing information about Hannah from the Miami Metro, and that’s probably because he wants to do his homework on her. Do you believe that Hannah is still killing? Maybe the nostalgia of the Wayne Randall case has galvanized her Dark Passenger? According to Dexter’s code, Hannah’s actions could land her on his table very soon.

One person who is out of Dexter’s reach is the mob boss Isaak Sirko. That’s probably a good thing; Isaak is relentless. Sure, Dexter can taunt him with visits to jail, but both individuals are protected for now. The cat (Isaak) and mouse (Dexter) game will need to be put on hold for the time being. Isaak is the most obvious villain for this season, and his motives will probably keep the rest of the Koshka Brotherhood away from pursuing Dexter. This is personal, and Isaak seems like a man who wants the satisfaction of revenge all to himself. That doesn’t mean that Dexter’s family is safe from the Brotherhood.

It’s quite obvious that Debra is struggling with her discovery of Dexter. She’s living in the past and reminiscing about beach vacations she and Dex took when they were young. They would chase each other around on the beach, and Dexter was her knight in shining armor. She took great pride in knowing he would protect her. This is Debra’s defense mechanism.

“Swim Deep” is a continuance of a strong seventh season of Dexter. After the mixed reviews of the sixth season, it was important the show rebounded in a strong way. I have very few complaints so far, and the formula is entertainingly fresh.

Things to keep an eye on:

-Is Quinn reverting back to his “dirty cop” ways?

-What happened to Batista’s character? His lines usually consist of some complaint about Florida’s hot weather or how he’s in the wrong career.